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Nine years and $5.4 billion in the making, the Panama Canal’s new, larger locks are opening amid questions about the impact they’ll have on an uncertain global trade and container shipping environment.
The biggest questions involve trade between Asia and the U.S. East and Gulf coasts, where ports have invested tens of billions of dollars in dredging and other investments aimed at cutting into the West Coast’s dominant trans-Pacific market share.
East and Gulf ports have been nibbling away at the West Coast’s market share, and hope the Panama Canal’s added capacity will accelerate their momentum. During the nine months ending in March 2016, their market share inched up to 33.9 percent, from 29.1 percent two years earlier, according to PIERS, a sister product of JOC.com within IHS.
The canal’s new locks will open Sunday, June 26, when the Cosco Shipping Panama, with a capacity of 9,443 twenty-foot-equivalent units, will make the first commercial passage. The expansion project was completed this spring, two years behind the original target of the 100th anniversary of the canal’s opening in 1914.
The new locks measure 1,200 feet by 160 feet and will accommodate container ships that carry up to about 13,000 TEUs, depending on the design, and that draw up to 50 feet of water. That’s nearly triple the 4,500-to-5,000-TEU capacity of current Panamax vessels using the century-old, 1,000-by-110-foot locks, which have a maximum draft of 39.5 feet.
The canal expansion is the product of years of studies, notably a tripartite report that the U.S., Japan and Panama funded in the 1980s. Construction began in 2007 and has been punctuated by controversy involving repeated delays, a messy dispute over construction overruns, and the 11th-hour discovery of concrete flaws that pushed back the opening. Dry weather from the current El Niño weather pattern has renewed questions about draft restrictions.
But by any standard, the expansion is a monumental project that will affect global transportation for decades, as the existing canal has done. Even before the new locks open, the project already is influencing industry decisions about routes, rates, capacity and more.
The industry reacts
Anticipating a surge in trans-Pacific container shipments that now move via the U.S. West Coast, East and Gulf coast ports have spent more than $150 billion to deepen harbors, expand terminals and improve rail and road connections from their docks.
Carriers have begun upsizing Asia-East Coast services to take advantage of the new locks. Six vessel strings — four from the CKYHE Alliance and two from the G6 Alliance — have announced enhanced Asia-U.S. East Coast services using more than 50 ships with capacities of 6,000 TEUs to 10,000 TEUs.
These ships replace nine current strings, eight of which use Panamax ships. Separately, Mediterranean Shipping Co. has replaced Panamax ships with 8,000-TEU to 9,000-TEU ships on a Europe-West Coast South America route through the canal. The 2M Alliance of Maersk and MSC plans to shift one of its Asia-East Coast services that use the Suez to Panama.
Many consultants and industrial real estate developers predict the canal expansion will accelerate a gradual shift of U.S. containerized imports from Asia, now dominated by West Coast ports, toward the East and Gulf coasts.
The canal expansion “marks a fundamental shift in the shipment of Asian goods to the Eastern U.S.” said David Egan, head of industrial research in the Americas for real estate firm CBRE. “The short term won’t bring massive, game-changing gains for East Coast ports, because much of that repositioning already occurred in recent years,” Egan said. “But it will shift U.S. cargo from slightly favoring the West Coast to a more even split between the two coasts.”
East and Gulf coast ports expanded their share of containerized cargo during severe West Coast congestion during International Longshore and Warehouse Union contract negotiations in late 2014 and early 2015, and retained some of the increase.
What will determine the overall impact?
All ports, however, may not see the containerized cargo growth they were counting on to justify their investments in dredging and terminals. In deciding on East versus West routings, shippers will also factor in transit times, the costs of canal tolls in comparison with intermodal rail, port reliability and distribution strategies.
“Just because you have a larger set of locks and larger ships through Panama doesn’t mean you’re going to have a huge increase in business,” said Richard Wainio, a consultant and former Port of Tampa executive director and former chief economist at the Panama Canal. “It all comes down to the market.”
Walter Kemmsies, managing director for the U.S. ports, airports and global infrastructure group at real estate company JLL, said shippers could enjoy lower costs because of bigger ships’ economies of scale, but that this won’t automatically translate to a big shift in cargo from the West Coast.
An “x-factor,” he said, will be the degree to which West Coast port operators and western railroads adjust their rates to meet Panama’s competition. “There could be a long competitive battle ahead,” Kemmsies said.
Another question is trade volume. Growth in U.S. containerized imports has slowed from the heady years before the recession, when China’s manufacturing exports expanded rapidly and traditional breakbulk cargoes were shifting to containers and inflating growth in box volume.
Mario Moreno, chief economist at IHS Maritime & Trade, forecasts U.S. containerized imports this year will rise 5.7 percent, to 20.9 million TEUs, while exports increase 1.3 percent, to 11.6 million TEUs.
Wainio expects containerized volume growth to remain modest. “I don’t see huge growth in container business on the primary routes the canal serves, namely the bread-and-butter route from North Asia to the East Coast of the United States,” he told JOC.com. He expects Panama will skim off marginal cargo from West Coast intermodal routes and regain some business lost in recent years to the sea-level Suez Canal, but that the overall pie will expand slowly.
But that doesn’t mean the canal authority erred in adding a third set of locks, Waino emphasized.
“Has it made business sense for Panama to do what they’ve done in expanding the canal? Yes, for a couple of reasons,” he said. “They needed more capacity, because with only two lanes, if you take one out of service for maintenance, you have backups. And if you’re going to add a third lane, it was a no-brainer to make it larger, in order to handle the larger ships.”
Since the expansion began, carriers have built dozens of container ships with capacities of up to 20,000 TEUs — too large to fit through the new locks. Those ships will continue to use the sea-level Suez Canal on Asia-Europe routes.
Panama officials are making a strong bid for ships that will fit through the new locks but now use the Suez. After ratcheting up tolls for several years, the Panama Canal Authority has offered container lines an incentive plan based on ships’ volume.
To counter increased competition from Panama, Suez Canal officials are offering increased rebates to encourage container ships that now use the Cape of Good Hope in order to avoid Suez tolls and take advantage of low fuel costs on backhaul routes to Asia.
Transit time for a direct voyage from Hong Kong to New York is the same, although actual times depend on port coverage and intermediate stops. Panama has an advantage for origin points north of Hong Kong.
Consultant Chaim Shacham, a former Zim Integrated Shipping Services executive, has estimated that based on recent fuel prices and tolls at the start of the year, carriers’ average per-TEU round-trip costs on a Panamax sailing would be $1,150 to $1,175 per TEU via Panama and $1,210 to $1,185 via the Suez, but that Panama’s roundtrip cost for an 8,000-TEU ship will drop to about $850 per TEU.
Container lines need all the help they can get. Industry analysts say the carriers’ losses could hit $10 billion this year because of overcapacity that has dropped rates to record lows. Carriers have struggled to fill big super-sized ships they ordered in a bid for economies of scale. This makes it uncertain whether carriers’ cost savings from bigger ships using the canal will be passed to shippers.
The Panama expansion will provide additional routes for deployment of those big ships, but is bad news for owners of traditional Panamax vessels. Many of which will be laid up or scrapped, especially those with long, narrow hulls that fit the older locks’ dimensions but require extra ballast that’s needed for stability and cuts into cargo deadweight capacity.
All but overlooked amid talk about the higher-capacity new locks have been draft restrictions that at least initially will prevent neo-Panamax vessels from using the new locks’ full 50-foot draft.
In recent months, dry weather from the El Niño weather phenomenon has forced the Panama Canal Authority to impose draft restrictions in response to lowered water levels at the reservoirs that feed canal locks. The canal authority recently restored drafts at its existing locks to their maximum 39.5 feet. When the new locks open, they initially will provide drafts of up to only 43 feet (13.11 meters), well below the maximum 50 feet (15.2 meters). Canal officials say they expect water levels to be sufficient to meet long-term demand.
To benefit, ports have more work to do
Despite billions of dollars spent on deeper channels and new and expanded terminals, the East and Gulf coasts still aren’t fully prepared to handle a surge of neo-Panamax ships. Terminals in ports such as New York-New Jersey and Virginia have struggled with congestion, especially when large ships arrive in bunches off schedule.
For the next couple of years, the biggest constraint on the size of ships using the Panama Canal to reach the U.S. East Coast will be the 151-foot clearance under the Bayonne Bridge, which stands between four new York-New Jersey container terminals and the Atlantic.
Expected completion of a $1.3 billion project to raise the bridge to 215 feet has been pushed back to the end of 2017 by construction delays. Because New York-New Jersey’s concentrated consumer import demand makes the port a must-call stop for most all-water services to the East Coast, most ships in the route are sized to fit under the bridge. In recent years, several carriers have installed lower exhaust stacks or collapsible antennas under “Bayonne-max” vessels, but that’s only a stopgap move.
During the last decade, New York-New Jersey, Baltimore and Miami have deepened their channels to 50 feet, joining Virginia as East Coast ports with channels deep enough for fully loaded neo-Panamax vessels. Savannah is deepening its channel to 47 feet, and Charleston is on track to have 52-foot depth within five years. Houston’s container terminals now have 45-foot depths.
Other ports such as Jacksonville and Port Everglades, Florida, also are seeking authorization or funding to deepen their channels. Multimillion-dollar terminal expansions and upgrades are under way at other ports, even smaller ones that don’t currently handle Panamax vessels.
At Gulfport, Mississippi, the state-owned port authority has sunk $30 million into three new cranes that can span 18 rows of containers, even though the port’s current users don’t even operate 13-across Panamax ships and the port’s channel is only 36 feet deep.
Not all of the port projects will produce a positive return, Wainio warned. He said the need for deeper channels has been overemphasized. “I’ve said all along that we don’t need 50 feet of water at most ports, even with the new locks at the canal,” he said.
Wainio expects 8,000-TEU to 10,000-TEU ships to be the “workhorses” of all-water canal services to the U.S. East and Gulf coasts. Even larger neo-Panamax ships won’t arrive at ports at full capacity, and won’t need drafts to match the locks’ operating draft, Wainio said.
“With new ship designs, a 9,000-TEU ship might draw only 40 or 42 feet,” he said. “Channel length, width, turning basins and road and rail connections are more important than having 50 feet of water.”
Panamanian officials are promoting the isthmus as a transshipment hub where large vessels can exchange cargo with smaller regional vessels to support distribution and light assembly. The canal has authority has authorized construction of a 3 million-TEU-per-year transshipment hub with 60-foot water depth at Corozal, at the canal’s Pacific entrance.
Other terminal operators in the region have warned that the region’s transshipment capacity is on its way to being overbuilt. Asaf Ashar, professor emeritus at the University of New Orleans’ National Port and Waterways Institute, has questioned assumptions that the expanded canal will produce double-digit growth in transshipments.
Ashar predicted transshipment will grow at a slower rate, and that much of the increase will be at non-Panamanian ports such as Cartagena, Colombia. He said that instead of transshipping, carriers are more likely to combine smaller services into direct services that use larger, more efficient ships.


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By: Eddie Makuch
When most U.S. gamers think of brick-and-mortar games stores, they think of GameStop. The Grapevine, Texas-based company operates more than 4,000 stores across the country; it owns the Game Informer magazine; and its used game business is unrivaled. Once a fully brick-and-mortar retailer, GameStop is now adopting and embracing a multi-faceted digital strategy, which has proven lucrative for the firm.
GameSpot recently got the chance to speak with GameStop CEO Paul Raines during a media tour of the company’s refurbishment center in Texas. It was the first time the refurbishment center was opened to the press.
During our time with the Fortune 500 executive, Raines talked about how hardcore gamers "love" GameStop and that the lifestyle of gamers "requires" there be a second-hand market. He also said physical games are not going away any time soon, and will "evolve" to a point where the boxed copy is needed to play digital content.
Additionally, Raines spoke to how GameStop has found success with used games while its competitors have fallen by the wayside. He also said next-gen consoles that block used games don’t make economic sense, GameStop is not interested in the rental business, and that the current economic troubles in Europe is a potential threat to GameStop’s business.
Check out GameSpot’s full interview with Raines here, and look for our photo feature of GameStop’s refurbishment center later this week.

domain: news


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According to Sandiaga Uno, UMKM organizations intend to bring micro businesses such as Ayam Bakar Mas Mono and Es Teler 77 to major world cities like New York, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. "So, not only the existing CFC or KFC in Indonesia but Ayam Bakar Mas Mono and Es Teler 77 should be stoned to Hong Kong or New York," Sandi said in his speech when opening the field of SMEs Kadin Rakornas and Cooperation in Jakarta Convention Center. Government, said Sandiaga, was asked to spawn comprehensive and appropriate policies. Indonesia requested that SMEs become pillars of national industry. "We already have five FTAs (Free Trade Zone) signed, which means widening the market and this could be a necessity. Therefore, (we need) to change this into an opportunity," said Sandiaga. Sandiaga hopes, next year (2011) could be a landmark year for SMEs. Actually, targeting SMEs, Kadin resurrection took place this year. Unfortunately, the government disbursed funds were spread across all sectors. "Because there is no focus, this is a particular hardship on SME sector to grow," he said. Sandiaga resumed, Kadin hopes later in 2011, budgeting can be more focused. In additions, Es teler 77 has opened their branches in Singapore and Australia. Soon they will open in other countries. Source: Vivanews and Esteler77.com
Artikel ini dibuat oleh Kawan GNFI, dengan mematuhi aturan menulis di GNFI. Isi artikel merupakan tanggung jawab penulis.


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Car dealer group Hartwell has bought the former Crossroads Garage Renault dealership in Kidlington on the northern edge of Oxford.
The move takes the number of Hartwell sites in the Oxfordshire area up to six, representing eight brands.
Managing director Kevin Godfrey sees the new Renault business as a major addition to the company’s brand portfolio.
"Hartwell is investing substantially in the local business community in Oxfordshire and we look forward to working closely with Renault car owners.
“We would like to welcome back past and present Renault customers in Oxford to Hartwell, where they will no doubt recognize some friendly, familiar faces.”
Hartwell confirmed that it will be investing further in the Kidlington facility by adding new brands in 2012.
The company will take on existing staff from Crossroads Garage.


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DHL Supply Chain has announced a landmark investment of €500 million into Latin America over the next years (until 2028) as part of a strategy to strengthen its capabilities in high-demand sectors like healthcare, automotive, technology, retail and e-commerce.
Projects in the pipeline include decarbonizing the domestic fleet through greener alternatives; building, developing and retrofitting real estate assets and warehouses in the market; as well as significant investments into new technologies, robotics and automation solutions.
DHL Supply Chain is confident in its plans for the region, citing its proximity to large consumer markets in North America as well as booming sales markets which make it attractive for industries to invest and therewith request additional logistics support.
The company has been growing its operations in Latin America with more than 240 locations. In Mexico last year, it acquired NTA, a company focused on logistics services for the pharmaceutical industry.
In Brazil, it recently announced the expansion and modernization of its distribution centre located in Goiás, while expanding its operations and presence in Extrema Minas Gerais for various clients in pharmaceuticals and retail fashion. It also opened a new distribution centre in Pudahuel, Chile, and expanded its presence in Mexico with new warehouses in Tijuana and Monterrey, including a new campus in the State of Mexico, which will serve the e-commerce, retail, fashion, consumer, medical devices, aerospace, electronics, and automotive sectors.
Following the announcement of the investment, DHL Supply Chain Mexico inaugurated a new center of excellence for electric vehicles to provide synergy to the automotive industry in the region.


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Opti 2021, which was to take place from 8–10 January 2021, has been cancelled and Mido 2021 has been rescheduled from February to 5 – 7 June 2021.
Mido organisers said the new date had been planned as “a sensible choice, driven by the aim to ensure exhibitors and visitors an exhibition offering peak international traffic potential and profitable business transactions”.
Opti organisers said uncertainties regarding infection rates were dividing the industry. In a statement, Dieter Dohr, Chairman of the Management Board of GHM Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen mbH said, “We have been observing the market very closely in recent weeks, and we have maintained close contact with our exhibitors in particular. Many continue to be very interested in introducing their new products to their customers in person and are clearly committed to opti. The current developments are now associated with more uncertainties, especially with regard to national travel restrictions, meaning that in the last few days many of the registered exhibitors and market leaders cancelled their participation in opti after their admission was confirmed, due to coronavirus.”
in the last few days many of the registered exhibitors and market leaders cancelled their participation in opti
The next opti will take place at Fairground Munich from 14–16 January 2022.
Mido will take place from 5–7 June 2021at Fiera Milano in Italy.
Additionally Vision Council has announced that Vision Expo East is scheduled for 25 –28 May 2021 in New York City, two months later than its usual March timing.


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Posted Jun 14, 2023 by Veronica Liu
Anime Expo, the largest anime convention in the United States, held annually in Los Angeles, finally announces the attendance of Kafka Asagiri, the author of the hit manga series Bungo Stray Dogs, as a guest of honor! Leading up to the release of the fifth season of the Bungo Stray Dogs anime, Kafka Asagiri will attend the North American convention for the first time, allowing the immense Bungo Stray Dogs fan base to meet and learn more about the creator of the iconic property.
Following its debut in December 2012, Bungo Stray Dogs has become one of the world’s most popular manga series due to its stylish character designs, compelling story, and novel references to famous authors worldwide. The anime adaptation debuted in April 2016 and through the years has turned into a much-beloved series in the hearts of fans. The immense popularity of Bungo Stray Dogs has led the series to become one of the most successful releases in our history—success seen not only in the original manga but with the light novel and manga spin-offs as well!
We’re so excited to announce that Kafka Asagiri will participate in a panel hosted by us titled Meet Kafka Asagiri—Creator of Bungo Stray Dogs, which delves into his life and the creation of Bungo Stray Dogs. Other Anime Expo activities involving the acclaimed creator will be announced later, so stay tuned to hear more.
Anime Expo takes place in Los Angeles, California, from July 1 to July 4. For more information, visit https://www.anime-expo.org/.


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The PlayStation 5 is an ugly machine. Thankfully, the hideous white plates flanking either side of the gaming console come off and there are several companies that sell variations on Sony’s white, default theme. One of those companies is Dbrand, which is so confident it can sell these plates it threatened Sony to sue it if it thought otherwise. Sony obliged, and threatened to sue Dbrand, which prompted the company to delist its product.
But now Dbrand is back with a new design and a middle finger for the console manufacturer. Its reasoning is that Sony could threaten to sue because it has patented the PS5 plates, but Dbrand has now altered that design in a way that would allow it to bypass that patent.
The drama started in February when Dbrand unveiled matte black replacement plates for the PlayStation 5. Console owners across the world loved the PlayStation 5 but some hated the startlingly white faceplates. They make the console stand out no matter where you put it, and stain easily. Consumers wanted something darker to make the console look cooler and blend in with the rest of their audio-visual equipment.
Dbrand launched its Darkplates with advertising that taunted Sony and begged the media giant to sue Dbrand. “When you look at this microscopic texture inside the Darkplates, what do you see?” Advertising for the original Darkplates said. “If your answer is ‘a familiar-but-legally-distinct apocalyptic spin on the classic PlayStation button shapes,’ you might be one of our lawyers.”
Sony threatened Dbrand with legal action and the sideplate maker pulled the Darkplates from its store. “We've elected to submit to the terrorists' demands… for now,” Dbrand said on its subreddit. Sony has a habit of going after companies that manufacture accessories for the PlayStation 5. It threatened another custom sideplate maker with legal action in November, 2020. The company rebranded itself and relaunched a few months later.
According to a post by Dbrand on its subreddit, Sony didn’t have a legal leg to stand on for months. “The reality of this Darkplates dispute is quite simple,” it said. “You can’t successfully sue someone over an alleged ‘design infringement’ without a registered design patent. Sony did not have a registered design patent for the PS5’s side panels when we launched Darkplates (or for many, many months following the release). We didn’t think they’d ever get one. They did. Here we are.”
Now that Sony has patented the design of the sideplates, however, Dbrand thinks it can officially launch a brand new design that’s legally distinct from Sony’s patent. “By creating a brand new design, Darkplates 2.0 successfully closes the loop on this dispute and neutralizes any future infringement claims from Sony,” it said. “More importantly: it makes your PlayStation 5 considerably less ugly.”
What’s the biggest difference? Darkplates 2.0 has holes to vent the large 120mm intake fan on the PlayStation 5 that’s covered by the sideplate in the base model. “Why is this important? Let’s put it this way: if that intake fan was a set of lungs, the plates you have now are in prison for suffocating your PS5,” Dbrand said. “Luckily for us, ‘adding vents’ is yet another way to distinguish our plate design from Sony's.”
Dbrand is taking pre-orders on the Darkplates 2.0 right now. They start at $69.00.
Sony did not return Waypont’s request for comment.


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crookedvulture writes "The next generation of NAND has arrived. Intel's latest 335 Series SSD sports 20-nm flash chips that are 29% smaller than the previous, 25-nm generation. The NAND features a new planar cell structure with a floating, high-k/metal gate stack, a first for the flash industry. This cell structure purportedly helps the 20-nm NAND overcome cell-to-cell interference, allowing it to offer the same performance and reliability characteristics of the 25-nm stuff. The performance numbers back up that assertion, with the 335 Series matching other drives based on the same SandForce controller silicon. The 335 Series may end up costing less than the competition, though; Intel has set the suggested retail price at an aggressive $184 for the 240GB drive, which works out to just 77 cents per gigabyte."
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An anonymous reader writes "My company is pursuing a RAM upgrade, resulting in 500+ used DDR3 4GB DIMMs. What could this be used for? Are there any cheap products on the market which can take a huge number of DIMMs? Is there a worthy cause we should donate the gear to?"
hypnosec writes "The Oak Ridge National Laboratory has unveiled a new supercomputer – Titan, which it claims is the world's most powerful supercomputer, capable of 20 petaflops of performance. The Cray XK7 supercomputer contains a total of 18,688 nodes and each node is based on a 16-core AMD Opteron 6274 processor and a Nvidia Tesla K20 Graphical Processing Unit (GPU). To be used for researching climate change and other data-intensive tasks, the supercomputer is equipped with more than 700 terabytes of memory."
First time accepted submitter yawaramin writes "IBM has apparently made a breakthrough in arranging carbon nanotubes into the logic gates necessary to make a chip. This should help miniaturize and speed up processors beyond what today's silicon-based technologies are capable of. The article notes though that perfecting the carbon nanotube technology could take up the rest of this decade."
An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft has released their much anticipated SmartGlass application for Android, allowing the Linux-based mobile OS to act as an input device for their Xbox 360 game console. While the app has its share of annoying problems, it does offer a glimpse into a possible future where consumer electronics are no longer crippled by the artificial barriers of manufacturer or operating system."
An anonymous reader writes "University of British Columbia researchers have developed a wireless charging system for electric cars. It involves a spinning magnet beneath the parked vehicle which turns another magnet in the underside of the car. Charging takes four hours and is about 90% as efficient as plugging in. From the article: '"One of the major challenges of electric vehicles is the need to connect cords and sockets in often cramped conditions and in bad weather," says David Woodson, managing director of UBC Building Operations. "Since we began testing the system, the feedback from drivers has been overwhelmingly positive." Four wireless charging stations have been installed at UBC's building operations parking lot. Tests show the system is more than 90 per cent efficient compared to a cable charge. A full charge takes four hours and enables the vehicle to run throughout an eight-hour shift.'"
whoever57 writes "In an interview in Der Spiegel, Craig Mundie blames Microsoft's failure in mobile on cyber criminals. Noting that Microsoft had a music player before the iPod and a touch device before the iPad, he claims a failure to execute within Microsoft resulted in Microsoft losing its 'leadership.' The reason for the failure to execute, in his words: 'During that time, Windows went through a difficult period where we had to shift a huge amount of our focus to security engineering. The criminal activity in cyberspace was growing dramatically ten years ago, and Microsoft was basically the only company that had enough volume for it to be a target. In part because of that, Windows Vista took a long time to be born.'"
the_newsbeagle writes "Adrian Cheok, a professor of electrical engineering in Japan, wants to invent a "multisensory Internet" that will transmit not just information, but also experiences. To usher in this new age, he started by building a haptic system that enabled him to send a hug to a chicken via the Internet. Next came the 'huggy pajama' project, which allowed distant parents to send their kid a goodnight squeeze. Lately he's begun working on sending a taste over the internet with his 'digital lollypop' project."
hackingbear writes "China Unicom, the country's second largest telecom operator, has replaced Cisco Systems routers in one of the country's most important backbone networks, citing security reasons [due to bugs and vulnerability.) The move came after a congressional report branded Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and ZTE Corp. security threats in the United States, citing bugs and vulnerability (rather than actual evidence of spying.) Surprising to us, up to now, Cisco occupies a large market share in China. It accounts for over a 70 percent share of China Telecom's 163 backbone network and over an 80 percent share of China Unicom's 169 backbone network. Let's wait to see who's the winner in this trade war disguised as national security."
An anonymous reader writes "Ubuntu for the Nexus 7 was released today and Ubuntu Member Benjamin Kerensa has provided photos and video of it in action." I wish the Nexus 7 had what most Android tablets lack: a full-size USB port (or SD card slot) to make such OS experimenting easier.
Hugh Pickens writes "Tricia Romano writes in the NY Times that over the last 10 years, purchasing a hearing aid had become even more difficult and confusing than buying a new car — and almost as expensive. 'I visited Hearx, the national chain where I had bought my previous aids. There, a fastidious young man spread out a brochure for my preferred brand, Siemens, and showed me three models. The cheapest, a Siemens Motion 300, started at $1,600. The top-of-the-line model was more than $2,000 — for one ear. I gasped.' A hearing aid is basically just a microphone and amplifier in your ear so it isn't clear why it costs thousands of dollars while other electronic equipment like cellphones, computers and televisions have gotten cheaper. Russ Apfel, an engineer who designed a technology now found in all hearing aids, says there is no good reason for the high prices. 'The hearing aid industry uses every new thing, like digital or a new algorithm, to raise prices,' says Apfel. 'The semiconductor industry traditionally reduces the cost of products by 10 to 15 percent a year,' he said, but 'hearing aids go up 8 percent a year annually' and have for the last 20 years."
Nerval's Lobster writes "The Green Grid, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making IT infrastructures and data centers more energy-efficient, is making the case that data center operators are operating their facilities in too conservative a fashion. Rather than rely on mechanical chillers, it argues in a new white paper (PDF), data centers can reduce power consumption via a higher inlet temperature of 20 degrees C. Green Grid originally recommended that data center operators build to the ASHRAE A2 specifications: 10 to 35 degrees C (dry-bulb temperature) and between 20 to 80 percent humidity. But the paper also presented data that a range of between 20 and 35 degrees C was acceptable. Data centers have traditionally included chillers, mechanical cooling devices designed to lower the inlet temperature. Cooling the air, according to what the paper originally called anecdotal evidence, lowered the number of server failures that a data center experienced each year. But chilling the air also added additional costs, and PUE numbers would go up as a result."
New submitter seawall writes "Paul Allen just opened the Living Computer Museum in Seattle. The 'Living' means many of the computers are actually running. There's a Xerox Sigma 9, which was introduced in 1971 and is quite similar to the computer that sent the first signal over Arpanet. There's also Tops-10 on original DEC hardware, an operating TOAD-1 system, and a DEC PDP-7 that's one of only four in the world."
Tator Tot writes with this quote from Chemical & Engineering News: "Using today's technologies and knowledge, a scale-up of fledgling algal biofuel production sufficient to meet even 5% of U.S. transportation fuel demand is unsustainable, says a report released last week by the National Research Council. The report examines the efficiency of producing biofuels from microalgae and cyanobacteria with respect to energy, water, and nutrient requirements and finds that the process falls short. The energy from algal biofuel, the report finds, is less than the energy needed to make it. In terms of water, at least 32.5 billion gal would be needed to produce 10 billion gal of algae-based biofuels, the report states. The study also finds that making enough algal biofuels to replace just 5% of U.S. annual transportation fuel needs would require 44–107% of the total nitrogen and 20–51% of the total phosphorus consumed annually in the U.S."
We recently discussed news of a UK court ruling in which the judge decided Apple must publicly acknowledge that Samsung's Galaxy Tab did not infringe upon the iPad's design, both on the Apple website and in several publications. The acknowledgement has now been posted, and it's anything but apologetic. It states the court's ruling, helpfully referring to "Apple's registered design No. 000018607-0001," and quotes the judges words as an advertisement. The judge wrote, "The informed user's overall impression of each of the Samsung Galaxy Tablets is the following. From the front they belong to the family which includes the Apple design; but the Samsung products are very thin, almost insubstantial members of that family with unusual details on the back. They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool." They go on to mention German and U.S. cases which found in Apple's favor. Apple's statement concludes, "So while the U.K. court did not find Samsung guilty of infringement, other courts have recognized that in the course of creating its Galaxy tablet, Samsung willfully copied Apple's far more popular iPad."


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Exhibiting for the first time in 2017, Nu organics GMBH came with the aim of finding distributors in every Scandinavian country on the market.
“We found that the Nordic Organic Food Fair brought together the big players of Northern Europe. We met a good mix of wholesalers, retailers, distributors and press. The highlight of the show for us was winning Best New Organic Product at the Natural and Organic Awards Scandinavia. The next day at the show this award gave us a premium reputation which allowed us to make further important contacts.”
Christian Fenner, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Nu Organic GMBH, Germany


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Plastic packaging has gotten a bad rap with customers, so beauty brands are unwrapping.
New brands like Loli Beauty and Ethique have embedded the circular economy concept into their core businesses through the use of biodegradable, recyclable or carbon-neutral products, and have been able to attract consumer interest and funding by leveraging this unique angle to natural beauty. Meanwhile, larger companies like Lush have received valuable earned media for their zero-waste products — for Lush, many of those brands have existed since the company began in 1995. For example, bath bombs have existed since the company’s founding, but a limited-edition version that looks like a turtle was released last month to raise awareness around ocean conservation. Lush will also re-release a zero-waste soap in July which features a miniature paper shark fin. By capitalizing on the sustainability values of the modern customer, new brands are finding a way to make an impact in a crowded market, while older brands are discovering opportunities to renew enthusiasm for longstanding products.
“You only have to look around to see the worldwide momentum behind banning single-use plastics, alongside the realization that recycling will not make our plastic obsession OK,” said Brianne West, Ethique’s founder and formulator.
Today, green concerns have an impact on the purchasing decisions of almost all consumers. A 2017 study from Unilever showed that 33 percent of international consumers prefer to buy from a brand that is doing social and environmental good. It’s not enough for a brand to espouse “green beauty” in its ingredients — they must also emphasize recycling or the biodegradability of packaging, or just use less of it.
Lush, for its part, has aimed to visualize its sustainability impact as part of its strategy. The turtle-shaped bomb released in June disintegrates into bath water to represent turtles’ waning population, while agar chunks in the bomb do not dissolve, symbolizing plastic waste. It debuted on June 19 and has resulted in 46,600 online and in-store purchases for the brand, and was the fifth-best-selling product brandwide between June 19 and July 17. Separately, a viral video last month created by Attn: Media about Lush’s zero-waste shampoo bars has been viewed over 75 million times and immediately resulted in the sale of more than 12,000 bars in two days, according to the brand. Previously, following a 2015 campaign about the harmful environmental effects of micro-beads, a commonly used skin-care exfoliator, the brand created a limited-edition body scrub made with naturally exfoliating sand.
But for a newer brand like Ethique, which was born online, the leveraging of sustainable products can help fund the growth of business and gain considerable attention. Based in New Zealand, the brand offers biodegradable ingredients and wrappers for its hair, face and body bars, and has received an “exceedingly positive” response from customers, according to West. The brand has over 62,000 “likes” on Facebook and has been able to stoke interest in funding for the brand by relying on equity crowdfunding in 2015 and 2017. In 2015, the brand raised approximately $300,000, and in its latest campaign, Ethique gave its original shareholders 21 hours to pre-register their investments before everyone else and raised over $500,000 in 90 minutes. Ethique claims 330 percent growth in 2017 and anticipates earning $2.2 million in revenue for the 2018 fiscal year.
The brand is now able to launch into nationwide brick-and-mortar stores in the United States by the middle of next year, as it currently relies mostly on Amazon, said West. It is also expanding into 440 pharmacies around Australia in October and is beginning to export into Japan in approximately 100 natural beauty department stores.
“We treat each market differently, relying on our distribution partners’ expertise for advice, but almost always starting online first, so we can ensure we tell our story properly,” she said.


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As many people where celebrating Valentines day over the weekend , Sheebah launched a new events company dubbed “Red Events” under her brand Sheebah establishments.
The Company was launched on Sunday Evening at Red Terrace Bar in Bunga, a Kampala suburb and it will be organizing parties and other corporate events. Sheebah Karungi has diversified her income over the years by investing in money-making ventures.
Sheebah has proven to be productive as she has invested her income in a number of businesses that have yielded more money. Early last year, Sheebah also launched a sanitary pad brand called ‘Holic pads’, coined out of ‘Sheebaholics’, the name of her legion of fans.


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By Julian Lee
The days of stylised ads featuring models and celebrities selling stuff and interrupting your daily routine could be numbered as more companies ask consumers to do their marketing for them.
Fast food, chips, beer and even holiday destinations are asking consumers to make ads in return for their 15 minutes - or perhaps 30 seconds - of fame.
A chip brand is the latest company to tap into a desire by consumers to have their say, asking people to come up with the brand's next flavour. The payback is the kudos of seeing their chips on sale, not to mention the promise of 1 per cent of sales capped at $200,000 for every year the line is on sale.
A similar promotion that ran in Britain attracted 400,000 entries. An egg and baked bean-flavoured line called Builder's Breakfast went on sale.
The goal is to get consumers to think about the brand in a way that is beyond the ability of traditional television or print ads. The adman behind the chip promotion, Guy Rooke of Clemenger BBDO, said "user-generated" ads were far from a fad. Companies around the world recognised the rise of the individual and the role websites such as YouTube play in promoting that.
"Most US companies want to do work that involves consumers, but Australia is just catching up with that now," Mr Rooke said.
"Putting your brand in the hands of consumers is more powerful than ramming it down their throats. Do we create culture or do we interrupt it?"
The fast food chain Subway recently picked a winner from 500 video entries by people interpreting the Subway "shuffle", the sideways movement customers make at the counter while placing their order.
The winner, 22, from Adelaide, will star in an ad, with his shuffle, later this year.
Subway is reporting a 10 per cent rise in sales and a huge increase in traffic to its website.
Doritos hit technical problems when its website was inundated by entrants in a similar competition offering a prize of $20,000.
But some commentators are questioning the effectiveness of these ads. Tim Burrowes, the editor of the marketing website Mumbrella, said: "By the time that you get the fourth or fifth one of these make-your-own-ads it's questionable how much interest there is in them. "And just how much appeal is there for [the YouTube] generation to appear in a 30-second ad on free-to-air television?"


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Market Is Performing Despite Fears – Cramer's Mad Money (10/2/17)
Stocks discussed on the in-depth session of Jim Cramer’s Mad Money TV Program, Monday, October 2.
Cramer was horrified with the mass shootings on Sunday, but he was astonished to see the indexes hitting all-time highs on Monday. “This stock market is about as un-cynical as you can get. As we kick off the fourth quarter, I see rallies in stocks that only go higher when people believe in progress and the ability of companies to navigate their way through troubled waters despite the dim and, frankly, baffling news flow,” he said.
Despite President Trump tweeting about Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wasting his time on North Korea, the market was not bothered and even moved higher. Violence in Spain over the referendum for Catalonia’s independence should have troubled investors but that was shrugged off by the market too.
“The stocks rallying the hardest say that things are going great, so we have to note how true believers are frantically putting money to work right into the face of domestic and global uncertainty. Let me go over the examples of what I’m talking about, a lack of cynicism on Wall Street, as these dreamer investors keep dreaming and the hard-nosed traders find areas to exploit to the upside despite all the uncertainty around us,” said Cramer.
Firstly, analysts had written off General Motors (NYSE:GM) as the growth of self-driving vehicles would encroach on personal ownership of vehicles. But General Motors’ announcement of its push in all-electric cars and plans for an autonomous car fleet worked positively for the market. The best part is that one gets all this with 4% yield.
Second, after Altice (NYSE:ATUS) gave in to Disney (NYSE:DIS) on the cable deal, it made investors realize that Disney’s business was not dependent on ESPN. “This is a market that embraces the simple, and Disney’s stock is running because Altice basically gave in. In another time, this contract dispute would’ve been viewed as unimportant. Instead, it’s a clarion call to buy shares of this iconic American company,” said Cramer.
Lastly, activist investor Nelson Peltz got a boost in his long fight with Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) over a board seat. “The term ‘win-win’s’ being batted about a bit. That’s another sign of how this market embraces the positives and sees a glass half full as three quarters full at a minimum,” added Cramer.
Monday’s market performance shows there are many reasons to be hopeful for the market despite the fears.
When the stock of a company with a good track record jumps going into the quarter and sells off on earnings despite strong fundamentals, it’s a good sign. Accenture is one such company. The stock went down after the company reported Q4. Cramer saw this pattern and had recommended the stock after the earnings slump in March. The stock has gained 13% since then.
“My view is simple: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Buying Accenture into even small bouts of weakness has been a hugely winning strategy, and I think it’s got more room to run,” said Cramer. The stock gets ignored every time it reports a good but not amazing quarter. They are regularly acquiring small companies to boost the consulting business. They made 47 deals last year totaling $1.7B.
With a great track record, Accenture just trades at 19 times earnings. “When a company’s track record is this good, you need to take advantage of the most modest pullbacks to do some buying, and they seem to keep happening after every quarter. When a company’s track record is this good, you need to take advantage of the most modest pullbacks to do some buying, and they seem to keep happening after every quarter,” he concluded.
Winners of Q3
With Q3 over, Cramer looked at the top 10 winners and gave his views on what lies ahead for these companies. None of these companies had anything to do with President Trump or the Fed.
- NRG Energy (NYSE:NRG): The stock has grown 50% in the quarter. This is because former CEO David Crane was ousted and the position was taken over by Mauricio Gutierrez. He has done a great job so far. “He’s gone a long way toward making NRG a utility that could one day rebuild its dividend. I also think, by the way, it could be a takeover target given its national reach and its relatively small $8B market cap. I think there’s something there,” said Cramer.
- Michael Kors (NYSE:KORS): Despite retail left for dead, Michael Kors rallied 34% in Q3. The retailer did well in the quarter with its popular smartwatch and $1.2B acquisition of Jimmy Choo. “This suggests that the business still has a pulse. Short-sellers don’t like to bet against any stocks where they can find a pulse. So, thanks to a combination of short covering and some easy [earnings] comparisons, Michael Kors is working, even if I don’t trust it,” said Cramer.
- Gap (NYSE:GPS): Gap has a similar retail story. It went up 32% in the quarter after closing under-performing stores.
- Albemarle (NYSE:ALB): The chemical company went up 30% as it’s a unique and pure play on Lithium which is a major component of electric-car batteries. Cramer prefers FMC Corp (NYSE:FMC) as a Lithium play but Albemarle is good too.
- Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX): The company’s 29% gain in Q3 shows the importance of it in the overall semiconductor market.
- Boeing (NYSE:BA): The stock gained 28% in Q3. Most of it was due to a large order book. “But most of it is disbelief on the part of the analysts who cover the stock that the Dreamliner’s making money. It’s the only large plane model that is doing well, but so what? You know what, it’s doing it,” said Cramer.
- CF Industries (NYSE:CF): The stock of this fertilizer manufacturer rallied as a play on the agriculture cycle. “I think this is purely a function of the fact that the agriculture cycle has come back to life. Everyone’s looking for ways to capitalize on it,” said Cramer.
- United Rentals (NYSE:URI), Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) and United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) were the remaining winners as Hurricane Harvey will require rebuilding, need of better semiconductors and growth in defense spending.
“I think the most important takeaway, though, is to stop focusing on Trump and Yellen. Instead, focus on the fundamentals and you’ll catch some of these. Yes, you’ll do much better,” concluded Cramer.
CEO interview – Hain Celestial (NASDAQ:HAIN)
The stock of Hain Celestial went up on board developments and speculation about ConAgra (NYSE:CAG) having an interest in the company. Cramer interviewed CEO Irwin Simon to hear more about these developments.
“We got six new board members with a lot of industry experience which is going to be very, very helpful to the company, very, very helpful for me from an international standpoint. I look at it as six new, independent board members for Hain Celestial’s shareholders,” said Simon.
He has dealt with activist investor Carl Icahn and he was open to Engaged Capital’s recommendations after they disclosed a 9.9% stake in the company. “They stepped up. They were very, very smart. They bought the stock in the $30s. Hey, you’ve got to give them a lot of credit. They’ve brought some great ideas,” said Simon.
The board views do not include the sale of the company to a larger player, but Simon did not deny the possibility of a sale by mentioning that every public company is for sale. “There’s a lot of hidden jewels within Hain. And it’s not about selling the company, it’s about building for shareholder value and continuously changing the way the world eats. There’s a lot of great things within Hain that most consumer packaged goods companies are missing,” said Simon.
Private label brands are doing well as consumer packaged companies are not innovating. Low margins are pressurizing the companies. The Amazon-Whole Foods deal has changed a lot of things in the industry. “I think the combination of the both of them will be great for the industry,” said Simon.
The company wants to focus on innovating and the millennials. “Millennials buy brands. But you’ve got to keep millennials happy. You’ve got to give them good pricing, good value. Board members are endorsing my strategy, but most important is consumers [have] got to endorse my strategy because they’re the ones buying the products,” concluded Simon.
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According to reports, the next Nintendo Switch was unveiled at Gamescom
Rumors about Nintendo's next console have been circulating for a while now, including recent claims that a release is planned for late 2024. It was sa...
Rumors about Nintendo's next console have been circulating for a while now, including recent claims that a release is planned for late 2024. It was said that developer kits had already been sent to some of Nintendo's key partners at that time. However, it seems that the company has granted even more developers a glimpse of the new console, as it was reportedly presented at a "behind closed doors" event during Gamescom.
This comes from Jez Corden of Windows Central, who claims that "selected press/developers" were given a first look at Nintendo's new console at Gamescom, and that leaks or an official unveiling could happen soon. It's worth noting that Corden emphasizes these are only "rumors" he has heard. However, it would make sense for Nintendo to unveil their next console later this year if the reports of a 2024 launch are true.
This is also not the first time we have heard that the next Nintendo Switch will be presented at Gamescom. Prior to the event, there was a report from startmenu stating that Nintendo planned to "confirm the existence of its next console" at Gamescom. However, they also claim that Nintendo has not scheduled any appointments with the press for behind-closed-doors events, contradicting Corden's statements.
If we are realistic, we will probably have to wait a while before we actually get an official unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2 or whatever the official name of the console will be. Nintendo has several big titles coming up in the next few months, including DLCs for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the remake of Super Mario RPG, and some other smaller titles that will be released.
Announcing a new console before the launch of its biggest titles may potentially impact sales, although Nintendo is a company that marches to its own beat and often does things outside of industry norms. However, it is worth noting that the Nintendo Switch was officially announced less than half a year before its release, which means we can likely expect a similarly short timeframe between unveiling and release here as well.
However, that doesn't mean we won't be getting any leaks for a while. Pretty much everyone and their grandmother already knew about the Nintendo Switch before the official announcement, and the more Nintendo presents the device to developers, the more likely it is that we'll see some low-quality images on the internet. Until then, Nintendo fans will have to be patient.


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Experts at the financial outsourcing group, Oriel, have expressed concerns over the potential for increased business insolvencies in 2010 as a result of tighter rules on deferred tax payments, and poor credit management amongst businesses.
Online PR News – 04-May-2010 – – In 2009, with the UK economy seeing one of the worst recessions in history, the government took action designed to help save struggling businesses from failure. In an effort to reduce the impact of the problems facing the economy the government introduced the time to pay scheme (TTP).
TTP allowed businesses to defer PAYE, VAT and National Insurance for up to six months. The scheme was designed to allow businesses a period of time to accommodate cash flow pressures and get order books back on track. Since inception the scheme has enabled over 242,000 companies to defer £4.2 billion in tax payments.
The TTP schemes have allowed businesses to soldier on and try to survive. However, this may not have been the best option for some businesses who continue to struggle out of the recession.
Group Sales & Marketing Director at Oriel Group, Trevor Deacon, believes that “the introduction of the scheme has potentially just delayed the high level of insolvencies that we had been expecting and that potential problems will arise in 2010 as a result. The trouble with the TTP scheme is that it has been, historically, relatively easy for companies to defer their debt and enter the scheme”.
Furthermore, with early signs of economic recovery the HMRC has hardened its stance on the TTP scheme and have become more forceful when receiving requests for assistance. Companies who have participated in the TTP scheme may now find themselves being pressed harder by HMRC to pay back quicker where previously the system has been less stringent.
On 6th April 2010 the HMRC introduced an independent viability review to ensure no businesses join the scheme unless they can show the potential to afford the repayments. If the business is unable to meet the new tighter regulations to enter into the scheme then it means the business is a high risk company and may result in early insolvency.
The most dangerous time during a recession for many businesses is the recovery stage when confidence begins to rise, many businesses become stretched by the increased working capital demands for the growing business and potentially take on more financial risks to try to expand sales.
Trevor Deacon comments, “Whilst we should all embrace the possible signs of recovery we should continue to be mindful of the customers we trade with and ensure effective credit management of overdue receivables”.
Businesses should look internally at their systems and review their credit management and collections cycle to ensure that all debts are potentially collectable and debtor risks are mitigated by effective credit management. It is also important to give consideration to outsourcing to a debt collections agency after 90 days as part of an effective and streamlined credit management policy.
More information is available at http://www.orielgroup.co.uk/Collections.


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The fourth quarter of every year for consumer electronic retailers is like the rainy season for farmers; it’s a make-or-break time of year when you have to compensate for the slower sales from the other three quarters. So it was like the Dust Bowl when Best Buy posted a $1.7 billion loss. This is not quite as bad as it might seem, because their fiscal year ends on March 3, so this only includes December’s sales from last year. Also, the bulk of the loss was due to one-time charges for items including its mobile phone business and the closure of its big box stores in the United Kingdom.
All the same, $1.7 billion is a big number, and the company has announced plans to deal with the loss. It will close 50 of its United States big box stores this year and cut about 400 additional jobs. In spite of these $800 million cuts, the company expects to increase its presence by opening more stores with much smaller footprints.
Clearly, the landscape for consumer electronics retailing is changing in this country. There appear to be more forces at work than just the down economy, as the Internet gives consumers more places to shop and to compare prices. Best Buy is trying to survive these shifts, but looking at the recent history of retailers such as Circuit City, CompUSA, and 6th Ave Electronics suggests that this could be a challenging task.


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BIRMINGHAM, MI – NXP Semiconductors, the Goliath among automotive semiconductor suppliers, plays its latest trump card, and it’s a powerful one.
The Netherlands-based tech firm today releases details of its new NXP S32 computing platform that promises to dramatically cut the amount of time automakers and suppliers spend on writing code, greatly enhance vehicle systems security and allow on-the-fly, over-the-air updates to vehicle software.
“This creates a new paradigm for our customers,” Matt Johnson, senior vice president and general manager-Product Lines and Software, Auto MCU and Processors, says of the S32 platform that NXP calls the “world’s first truly scalable” computing platform.
“Right now, there really is no competitive alternative to this platform. No one else has a product with this breadth, this performance and this ability to work across such a broad application space in a vehicle.”
Eight of the top 15 automakers around the world already have committed to using the new microcontrollers/microprocessors on ’20- and ’21-model vehicles, even though hardware won’t be available for testing until next year. That early interest has executives at a product backgrounder here convinced the company has a huge hit on its hands.
The new S32 semiconductor platform, said to offer 10 times the computing power of the best microprocessors currently offered industrywide, is designed to meet the rapidly escalating onboard computing demands driven by the auto industry’s march toward autonomous, electric and connected vehicles, Johnson says.
Those technologies are “fun to talk about, but it is much more difficult to actually make this happen,” he says, noting on average today’s cars already require more than 100 million lines of software code to operate, and that will increase by at least a factor of six near term.
“That’s creating a huge challenge for our customers,” Johnson says. “Software…as a general rule is the No.1 thing that prevents them from moving faster. The amount of software that is not compatible and needs to be updated system by system is almost overwhelming.
“The software challenge is literally growing exponentially.”
That’s where the new 32-bit microcontroller comes in. Today’s vehicles have a mix of software approaches, meaning coding is almost entirely unique from one vehicle system to the next. When engineering a new model or updating an existing one, almost all of that software has to be rewritten and validated, a time-consuming and expensive process.
NXP’s new modular processor uses an identical software approach across all vehicle domains, such as powertrain, chassis, safety and infotainment. That means more than 40% of software development is reusable from one system to the next, compared with less than 10% today.
Within a single-application domain, up to 90% of the software is reusable. So, for example, most of the work in developing powertrain controls for one vehicle line would carry over to the powertrain software for another model.
NXP officials shy away from saying by how much this more modular software architecture could shorten product-cycle times for automakers, but with the growing amount of coding required, the impact could be significant.
One OE source tells WardsAuto it typically takes 24 months to develop software for a new user interface, for example. For more complex systems, such as autonomous functions, active chassis control or hybrid powertrains, about 12 to 16 months of software development and simulation are required – ahead of the 24-month vehicle-development cycle.
That means taking 40% of time out of such programs could save automakers several months or even a year or more of development effort.
“If you’re an automaker and you can reduce your software-development time or increase your reuse by that much, it’s game-changing,” Johnson says. “This has a huge impact on our customer base.”
Unlike today’s technology, the new platform also allows for zero-downtime over-the-air updates of software, because the data can be drip-fed to the NXP processor in small bites while the vehicle is in motion.
The microprocessor/microcontroller also has enhanced cybersecurity features and will support a range of artificial-intelligence accelerators, NXP says.
The new S32 represents the biggest generational leap ever for NXP technology, Johnson says.
“We’ve reinvented our entire portfolio of products going forward,” he says. “Every processor, microcontroller and microprocessor will be based on this platform.”
Ultimately, NXP sees the processor paving the way for an entirely new vehicle-control architecture that is less of a patchwork system to system and much more hierarchical – “a system of systems,” as Johnson calls it.
Most automakers likely will make the transition one system at a time. But a few are considering more dramatic leaps that would completely revamp their vehicle-control architectures, including at least two Chinese manufacturers, NXP executives say.
Some customers are trying both paths, Johnson says. “Once you’ve adopted it, to use it again and again is easier and easier. We believe the most important step is the first one, and after that you’ll see much broader proliferation.”
NXP won’t identify the eight automakers that have plans to use the S32, but executives say they are scattered around every region of the world. Most will employ the platform in ’21 models, but some will work it into ’20 vehicles.
There is no one vehicle system that appears to be drawing the lion’s share of initial S32 applications, Johnson says, adding, the areas moving fastest are around vehicle networking, advanced driver-assistance systems, autonomy and electric vehicles.
NXP doesn’t detail the cost of the new S32 processors. Johnson says simply that “every part has to win on its own, no matter what,” suggesting there are enough gains in power, performance and design simplification to offset any potential cost increase.
Although it doesn’t break out financials related to its automotive-microcontroller business, NXP controls a leading 14% share of the automotive semiconductor market, according to Strategy Analytics. The supplier posted record second-quarter automotive revenue of $938 million overall, a 9% jump from like-2016 that it credited to “exceptional traction” in the microcontroller and advanced analog products sectors.
“Our growth rate is and will continue to be above the market,” Johnson says. “With what we’re seeing right now with this (S32) platform…(and) the pull from the market, we’re sitting at levels that are two or three times the opportunity we’ve ever had in our history. So our confidence is increasing that this is a great future opportunity for us.”
[email protected] @DavidZoia


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Thanks to Cloud Technology, SMBs are Flourishing Everywhere
FREMONT, CA: Small and medium businesses are after all not too far behind the big fish of the market. They are also adopting and experimenting with various new technologies to earn as well as save at the same time. The recent study conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority also reveals some interesting facts about this phenomenon.
It showed cloud usage in Australia was more prevalent for medium-sized businesses with 51 percent using cloud computing services, compared to 44 percent of small businesses. Most popular services include web-based email services, such as Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo! Mail followed by data back-up and sharing files online, accessing online software such as Webapps and Office 365.
According to another annual study conducted by cloud enablement technology provider Parallels, the overall SMB cloud market in the United States will reach $32 billion by the beginning of 2016 which is an increase of 19 percent from the previous figures. The report covers worldwide market sizing, forecast and penetration rates of SMB cloud services, along with country-level breakouts for the United States, Brazil and Mexico.
Elaborating the findings of the study Heather Clancy reports for ZDnet, that SMBs follow a assortment four key services: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Web Presence and Web Applications, Hosted Communication and Collaboration and Business Applications.
Chief Executive Officer of Parallels, Birger Steen asserts that SMBs are becoming more sophisticated in their use of IT and also demanding best of breed solutions.
Along with the growth of SMBs, allied areas are also witnessing change. Cloud-based security services are on the rise due to incorporation of services by SMBs that lack the internal IT resources to combat threats predict a recent Gartner report on cloud-based security services.
"Enterprises are looking to replace aging, custom-developed applications with more modern and nimble applications that allow them to move quickly into new markets with pop-up stores and omni-channel solutions that provide consumers and business buyers with a consistent experience regardless of where they research, shop, buy and return goods and services–online, mobile, in the store, through the call center, and more," says Christine Dover, Research Director for International Data Corp, a market research, analysis and advisory firm.


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Government will work hand in hand with Professional Golf Association of Malawi (PGAMW) in ensuring that the the country’s Professional Golf Tour, which was launched on Thursday, should be held annually as desired by the organisers.
Minister of Tourism Francis Kasaila said this when when he presided over the launch of the tournament held at Bingu International Conference Conference Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe where he commended introduction of the Golf Tour, saying it is a spring board for Malawi tourism.
Kasaila promised that Government will work hand in hand with BIPGAMW in ensuring that the event is held annually as the event is in line with the Tourism Ministry’s strategic marketing plan.
Malawi is hosting the Pros Tour which teed off on November 21 till 25 and almost 90 players from 10 different African countries are participating.
Kasaila said sports tourism is growing in Malawi and that his Ministry is excited to collaborate with other stakeholders like PGAMW in the bid to market Malawi’s investments and business opportunities.
PGA African Tour President, Eddie Imsakia was in attendance alongside PGAMW’s board of directors, whose organising committee’s chairman is David Church.
Church described the tour as dream come true and commended all sponsors for coming in their large numbers to support the event. Some of the sponsors include Umodzi Park, TNM Malawi, FDH Bank, Toyota Malawi and Airtel Malawi.
PGAM president Patridge Shycal he was a happy man for the efforts injected by everyone to make the Tour a success, which he described as historical.
He commended all the sponsors for embracing their vision and said they were looking at ways of expanding the Tour.
“The professional golfers should appreciate what lies ahead; we encourage them to make the most of this opportunity by demonstrating their skill and talent as we catapult them to new heights.
“As one of the world’s most popular sport, golf is a major niche for the tourism market with huge growth potential in Malawi, poised to take advantage of the game’s rapidly growing popularity in Africa.
“It is for this reason that we branded this maiden tour; The Warm Heart Pros Tour 2018, which through your Ministry, under Department of Tourism endorsed the tour as being in line with the strategic tourism marketing framework and the domestic tourism marketing strategy, of which the Department of Tourism in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism is encouraging to develop and promote events to support the growth of both local and international tourism. ”
“You may wish to know that this maiden tour has attracted approximately 80 pros who have come from different countries in Africa to participate in this tour. This in itself would further boosts Malawi’s revenue through tourism and enhancing the country’s standing in the international sporting arena. The tour also make Malawi as the favourite golfing destination,” Shycal said.
He added that the success of the tournament is a testament of support and belief in vision to transform golf in Malawi by catapulting professional golfers from the ‘golfing wilderness’ to the heights of excellence.
Shycal said PGAMW lives up by its vision and mission promoting and growing the game of golf at all levels in Malawi and provide current and future members with the opportunity to maximise their career potential while at the same time aim to be a leading sports brands, recognised as an industry leader who delivers the highest standards.
PGAMW started early this year to promote interest in the game of golf and to protect and advance the mutual and trade interests of all its members.
Shycal said the organisation was also formed to hold meetings and tournaments periodically for the encouragement of the younger members.Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :


text: Upscale vegan restaurant Avelo recently opened in a two-story Victorian heritage building in Toronto. Avelo is the new iteration of vegan favorite Awai, which closed earlier this year. The new boutique restaurant specializes in a five- and eight-course tasting concept, with menus that change frequently. The space seats only 20 people, which allows the Avelo team to deliver a more focused and personalized service than in their previous 80-seat space. The opening menu includes dishes such as truffle ravioli in a aïgo boulido veloute with chanterelle mushrooms and fresh truffle shavings; mole made with more than 30 ingredients and served with tempeh made from lentils and split peas; lobster mushrooms in a wheat berry risotto with a carrot-lemon foam; and black garlic ice cream drizzled with a rich chocolate-tamari ganache. “Avelo is focused on fine dining because that’s the market segment that has traditionally defined animal products as luxury goods, which sets the tone for our society’s food culture overall,” Avelo founder Roger Yang told VegNews. “If we can shift this to include plant-based dishes as equivalent, we can make a big impact on the desirability of plant-based food overall.” Upstairs from the main dining room is Bar Avelo, which will open next month and feature a more casual service with a focus on drinks and a tapas-style menu. “While Avelo is focused on creativity, often with rare ingredients and designed for more adventurous diners, Bar Avelo’s menu will have a broader appeal and won’t change as frequently,” Yang said. “We will definitely be including some of the most popular items that we’ve served at Awai.” In the coming months, Yang, who also owns Toronto vegan restaurant Away Kitchen, plans to transform its Queen Street West location into Italian restaurant Vitalia, using Away’s popular pizzas as the foundation of the menu.


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Expert from nation’s largest nonprofit health system shares strategies at HIDA’s Supply Chain Visibility Conference, June 21-22
Alexandria, VA, May 20, 2021 - John Frye, CommonSpirit National VP, Supply Chain Operations & Finance, will outline how this national health system was able to successfully navigate COVID-19 challenges by carefully and strategically examining risk.
CommonSpirit supply chain leaders analyzed product categories by risk exposure and clinical impact. They also built capabilities to prevent stockout risk for critical categories. Hear from Frye to find out how this care provider succeeded in:
Learn more about what true visibility requires at the Health Industry Distributors Association’s virtual Supply Chain Visibility Conference, June 21-22. Details and registration information can be found here.
The conference is part of HIDA’s Healthcare Supply Chain Collaborative, whose mission is to transform the healthcare supply chain through best practices for processes and data. With broad adoption of standards and best practices, stakeholders can optimize efficiency and visibility.
The Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) represents the country’s medical product distributors – the nation’s essential link between manufacturers and patient caregivers. HIDA members offer critical services increasing the efficiency of U.S. healthcare providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, laboratories, home care, and physician practices. For more information, visit HIDA.org.
Public Affairs Director


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Some torchbearers in our region have put up their torches for sale to raise money for charity. But now some of those bids on eBay have turned out not be genuine. Jonathan Gibson has this report.
An Olympic torchbearer who sold her torch for charity says she'd devastated after a £150,000 bid turned out to be fake.
Some torchbearers have started selling off their relay torches on ebay. One has sold for more than £150,000.


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The Ram TRX Gives Hellcat An All New Meaning
Instead of a meow, the Hellcat offers one heck of a demonic roar! Now it’s being placed in the Ram TRX. We’ve been waiting for the 2021 Ram TRX to come out, and it will be an even bigger beast than expected.
The Ram TRX Hellcat is coming
Finally, Ram is releasing a truck that will rival the 2020 Ford Raptor as the 2021 TRX will make its debut later this summer. It even has a dinosaur name. T-RX is like T Rex! After seeing the Ram TRX concept in 2016, fans have been waiting a pretty long time, but at least the wait will be over soon.
As noted in a teaser, the Ram TRX isn’t a mirage, and you only have to wait a few more weeks to see this truck that’s even more powerful than the 2016 concept. The 2016 Ram TRX concept had a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine with 575 horsepower.
RELATED READ: The 2021 Ford F-150 Took Features From the Ram 1500
But rumors suggest Ram will ditch that engine to incorporate the Hellcat’s ability to achieve up to 707 horsepower to roar with its iconic whine and 650 lb-ft of torque. The sound will be pretty hard to miss once this beat hits the streets.
What to expect with the Ram TRX
The Ram TRX should have a starting price of around $56k, making it a little more expensive than the Ford Raptor that starts around $53k. But the cost may be justified when combining the Ram 1500’s luxury cabin with the Ram Rebel’s off-roading capabilities, and the beefy V8 Hellcat powertrain.
Some rumors suggest that the Ram TRX Hellcat will come with a six-speed manual transmission like the Challenger SRT Hellcat. Also, the truck is expected to be available in rear-wheel drive for a sportier experience.
However, there is a claim that the Ram TRX may be offered in all-wheel-drive instead of four-wheel drive. We hope this isn’t true, because a severe off-roader needs true 4X4 capability, especially to compete with the Ford Raptor.
Based on spy shots, the Ram TRX is expected to be taller with a distinct and confident look. We might see a large, aggressive grille and fender flares that draw attention. Also, chunkier all-terrain tires were spotted on what seemed to be 16” or 17” rims.
Ram TRX Features
It should also come with a better suspension than the current Ram 1500 already has. We hope spy shots didn’t deceive us with what appeared to be a more robust rear axle and eight-lug wheels that are usually found on heavy-duty trucks. Luckily, this puts the possibility of true 4X4 capabilities back on the table.
The Ram TRX should also be similar in capability to the Ram Rebel. With similar capabilities, the Ram TRX may be up to tow up to 11,500 lb and carry a payload of up to 1,800 lb. Plus, like the Ram Rebel, the TRX will probably have a 5-foot bed and 7-foot bed available.
This tease has our attention, and we can’t wait to learn more. Ford recently released their 2021 F-150, now it’s time for truck rivals to set up to the plate with their new lineups. When it comes to the Ram TRX, we hope it’s a home run, and we can’t wait to learn more.


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Dunkin' Donuts to open firstÂ branch in Sheffield
Fast food chain Dunkin' Donuts is to open its first branch in Sheffield.
The chain, one of the world's leading coffee and baked goods brand, is opening a brand new outleyÂ at Fox Valley - making it the brand's first store in Sheffield.
The store will open on Wednesday 19Â December in a new unit which has been created in the Food Quarter at Fox Valley next to Zorro Lounge and Ponti's Italian Kitchen, at the centre's attractive landscaped piazza area.
The Dunkin' Donuts team are currently transforming their new unit with a stylish and modern fit out which will have both comfortable indoor and outdoor seating.
The store will offer a welcoming environment for guests to enjoy Dunkin' Donuts' food and beverages in a friendly and fun atmosphere - including menu items such as the iconic Boston CrÃ¨me, Mr Happy, Chocolate Caramel Duo and CrÃ¨me Brulee donuts, with a wide range of coffees and other beverages.Â Â
Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is one of the world's leading coffee and baked goods brands with more than 12,600 locations in 46 countries worldwide, offering a wide range of high-quality food and beverages, including hot and iced coffee, espresso based beverages, and its world famous donuts.
At Fox Valley the store will be owned by the franchise company, QFM Group which owns and operates other Dunkin' Donut stores including the sister store in Birdwell, Barnsley.
Around 15 new jobs are being created at the new Fox Valley store which will open at 9am on December 19 with a special ribbon cutting plus an exclusive opening offer '“Â a free donut with every regular Dunkin' Drink purchased until 16Â January 2019.
Laura Manley, QFM Group Marketing Manager, said: 'We are delighted to be opening our latest Dunkin Donuts at Fox Valley, this is a great location for us and a fantastic position at the centre.
'We are looking forward to opening the new store next week and welcoming new customers and Dunkin' fans into our lovely new store.'
Medi Parry-Williams from the Fox Valley Management team said: 'Dunkin' Donuts is a great addition to our food and drink offer here at Fox Valley and we wish the team all the best with the new store which we are confident is going to be really popular with our shoppers.'


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As per the report of NDTV, local smartphone manufacturer Ringing Bells will launch an affordable smartphone called the Freedom 251 on Wednesday. The Freedom 251, will be known as India’s cheapest smartphone and likely the most affordable smartphone in the world as per the price tag below Rs. 500 (approximately $7).
Ringing Bells says that the smart mobile phone is in line with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to connect every Indian and enrich their lives.
Ringing Bells made headlines earlier this month when it launched the Smart101, a 4G capable phone at a price point of Rs. 2,999 (approximately $44). It sports a 5-inch display, a 1.3GHz quad-core SoC, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of inbuilt storage which can be expanded using a microSD card (32GB). (Source)


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EBay split from PayPal aims to make payments arm more nimbleComments ()
Software giant seeks public advice to avoid repetition of Windows 8 fiasco.
Pilot project gets the elderly online and connected, and benefits everyone involved.
New social media service Ellow promises an ad-free and snoop-free environment
‘Our tests show that both IPhones seem tougher than the Internet fracas implies’
The Big Three incumbent wireless providers are cashing in by muscling out new entrants with prohibitively high rates to use their infrastructure, the Competition Bureau charged Monday


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Massachusetts [USA], May 12 (ANI): An ice cream parlour in Massachusetts temporarily closed and one of its employees quit after the owner said his staff faced an onslaught of harassment on reopening for the first time over the weekend after being shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Cape Cod's Polar Cave Ice Cream Parlour in Mashpee stayed closed despite being able to operate under guidelines for social distancing at restaurants, The Washington Post reported.
Owner Mark Lawrence told Boston 25 News, a local media channel, that he wanted to wait until opening would be safe, and he chose the Friday before Mother's Day to welcome customers back.
The TV station reported that Lawrence had asked customers to place orders an hour before pickup, but on the first day back, his limited staff faced harsh comments from angry customers who demanded ice cream.
The owner was quoted as saying that one of his best workers, a teenager at a Mashpee, quit the job yesterday. The worker "stuck it through her shift," Lawrence told local media, despite facing language that "you wouldn't even say in a men's locker room."
"All of the sudden, word spread like wildfire, and nobody listened to what we told them," Lawrence told Boston 25 News on Saturday.
About 7 p.m., Lawrence posted on Facebook: "STOP CALLING."
"People have forgotten how to treat other human beings in the six or seven weeks that they've been confined to their homes," the owner of the ice cream parlour, which is famous for serving award-winning desserts in Cape Cod, complained further.
Lawrence told Boston 25 News that he spent Saturday serving a smaller group of customers, many of whom did not get their orders Friday. He called it a "vastly improved operation" in a late-night post, thanking people for following the rules and placing their orders well ahead of pickup time.
"There were minimal people just pulling up and expecting to be served immediately, they chose to place an order and return or sit and wait," he wrote. "As one customer said, 'I can sit here in my car, or sit home and watch TV.' "
"We will continue to tweak our efforts and eventually try again to open full speed ahead," he added.
Employees in the service sector are on the front lines of a transformed landscape for stores and restaurants, one that's left some customers frustrated. Many small businesses are reopening with skeleton staffs and tough new rules to minimize the spread of the novel coronavirus.
As Massachusetts and other states move to restart economies devastated by the coronavirus, Lawrence suggested in a Facebook post last weekend that his biggest concern was whether customers would return safely. He shared a restaurant owner's breakdown of all his anxieties about going back to business.
Lawrence right now is doing limited orders and pondering the best way forward, according to his posts and local news interviews. (ANI)


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[APD] The 2008 AGA Convention -- East Meets West
19 February 2008 -- Inside sources have told us that the 2008 Aquatic Gardeners Association (almost) Annual Convention is definitely coming to Atlanta this November 13-16. Details are expected to be made available soon on the AGA website
-- as soon as hotel registration is opened.
Re speakers? The full list is not known but the persistent rumors that Master Takashi will return have been confirmed!
Rumored to be on the topics list:
Road Trip to Thailand.
Plus there is talk about another special guest from far overseas.
More details are expected in the coming weeks.
Aquatic-Plants mailing list
Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com


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Tuesday street market back for lunchtime treats
18 Nov 2016
The popular Tuesday lunchtime market is back on campus
After a break, Levenshulme Market is back on Bridgeford Street with some tasty autumnal treats for you to enjoy.
The markets will run every Tuesday from 11.30am to 2.30pm until Tuesday 13 December.
Since launching at their new location, the Levy Market specials have been hugely popular with both students and staff.
With 18 traders selling the very best in Manchester street food, produce, coffee and confections, the markets have made Tuesday lunchtimes a real treat.
Follow on social media:


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While the summer sale is in full swing in cities around the world, Clean Clothes Campaign raises attention on the ‘manufacturing defects’ of clothes with the launch of the Living Wage Defect website. People can sign the petition for a living wage for garment workers and can symbolically send back a garment due to its living wage defect to fashion brands.
Last Thursday, a large group of workers who stitched sport shoes for adidas and the Japanese brand Mizuno took to the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta to demand their immediate reinstatement.
The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) is delighted to announce a major campaign victory with the confirmation that the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund has finally met its target of $30 million, following a large anonymous donation.
So many people joined the Rana Plaza global day of action
On April 24th 2015, thousands and thousands of people worldwide joined in to demand justice for the victims of Rana Plaza, to hold brands accountable and to ensure that vital and lasting changes are made in the global apparel industry. United, we can make change happen.
We're still getting in reports from actions all over the world.
With all this public pressure, the campaign finally managed to secure enough donations for full and fair compensation!
Helpful links for more information about the Rana Plaza disaster, the compensation fund, and which brands did or did not pay up:
UNIQLO, one of Asia's biggest fashion brands, has come under fire this month after one of its Chinese supplier factories, Artigas Clothing and Leather, shut down without notice and denied workers severance and social insurance payments.
Clean Clothes Campaign calls on the government of the Philipines to carry out a full and detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding a fire at a Manila slipper factory, which killed at least 72 workers on May 13th 2015.
Nearly 30 demonstrators, including a survivor of the Rana Plaza building collapse, were arrested on 12 march 2015 after organizing a peaceful protest at Children's Place headquarters in New Jersey.
Who We Are
The Clean Clothes Campaign is dedicated to improving working conditions and supporting the empowerment of workers in the global garment and sportswear industries.
We educate and mobilise consumers, lobby companies and governments, and offer direct solidarity support to workers as they fight for their rights and demand better working conditions.
Support our work:
make a donation!


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The search giant pulls an about-face and the wireless carrier puts on a dog-and-pony show for April Fools' Day. Also: Microsoft's MS-DOS Mobile, Motorola's premium selfie stick and Samsung's smart knife.
His latest statement, in a Washington Post op-ed, warns of a wave of legislation pending across the US that could discriminate against the LGBT community.
A free gadget turns your Keurig 2.0 into a equal-opportunity coffee machine that sees all single-serve cups as authorized K-Cups.
As an alternative to cellular, the new service will let people tap into wireless hotspots across the United States
Jeff Bradley, head of AT&T's devices business, talks to CNET at CES 2015 about the huge growth of wearables and what it will take to make them stick.
This is no joke. This Android phone is the biggest -- and cheapest -- we've seen yet, thanks to relying on VoIP for calls. Is it even a phone, then?
Pricing not available
At the site of a notorious federal penitentiary, renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei uses an unlikely material, 1.2 million Lego bricks, to highlight the global reality of political detainment.
CEO Tim Cook says Apple is "deeply disappointed" in law's passage, and other tech luminaries flex their economic muscle to put pressure on the state.
ALS patient and advocate Eric Valor is part of an experimental project to test out a brain-wave-reading headset, technology that could one day give paralyzed people more independence.
The wireless carrier asks customers to vote for their top music service to stream without data worries. Google Play Music wins, but T-Mobile offers six others instead first.


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Data released in recent days have confirmed that the Chilean economy struggled in early Q2, due to the worsening of the pandemic which triggered localised lockdowns and curfews.
This publication is only available to Latin America Economic Research (Monitor) subscribers
Pantheon Macroeconomics produce daily publications for U.S., Eurozone, Latin America, UK and Asia, as well as analysis on key data within a few minutes of their release.
April, argentina, base effects, bcch, board, brazil, business confidence, capex, chile, chile business confidence, chilean economy, colombia, commodity, commodity prices, consumer, consumer confidence, consumer prices, consumption, copper, coronavirus, covid-19, currency, current account, downside risks, economic activity, economic activity index, economy, employment, exports, external demand, financial conditions, forecasts, gdp, government, growth, households, imacec, imef, imef manufacturing, imports, index, industrial activity, industrial production, inflation, inflation expectations, inflation pressures, jobless rate, June, labour, labour force, labour market, latam, latin america, manufacturing, manufacturing index, manufacturing output, manufacturing production, May, metal, mexico, mining, monetary, monetary policy, net exports, pension, peru, policy, policymakers, production, q1, q2, q3, q4, real gdp, remain, retail, retail sales, retail sector, services index, supply, trade, trade balance, unemployment, unemployment rate,


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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- New government data shows consumer prices surged last month, up 6.8 percent in the past year -- the biggest jump since 1982.
That has retail patrons feeling the pinch with the holiday shopping season in full swing.
Tricia Decarli, from Petaluma, was looking for good buys in San Francisco's Union Square on Friday.
"(Inflation's) affecting everyone," Decarli said.
"If you think that this is going to be behind us in the next couple of months, it's not. We are going to see higher prices, probably well into next year," said CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger.
The cost of everyday food items continues to rise. The cost of beef and bacon are up more than 20 percent compared to the same time last year.
"I'm more appreciative when I eat it. That's the way that works. Don't just throw it away. You got half a steak left, you save it and have a steak salad tomorrow," said Sushawn Robb of San Francisco.
The Biden administration expects prices to decrease in the weeks and months ahead, partly because of lower shipping costs.
"If the costs of shipping a container is less expensive, it means more goods can be shipped. There should be more on the shelves and the costs of goods should come down," said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
Consumers can only hope that the downward trend continues.
"Budget where you can and only buy the necessities," Decarli advised.
"Everything is more expensive, that's true, but I noticed at the shops they're offering a lot of discounts," said Lee Jenkins of San Francisco.
for more features.


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The Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Professional and Vocational Licensing Division (PVL) has announced new, completed licensing applications can now be submitted online through MyPVL.
With the recent stay-at-home order and the closure of State of Hawaii offices due to COVID-19, walk-in services are unavailable at this time and most new applications could previously only be accepted by mail. Now, applicants can submit their completed application, required documentation and payment online through MyPVL from the comfort and safety of their home.
“The safety and well-being of our licensees and staff are important to us,” said Charlene Tamanaha, Licensing Administrator for PVL. “In this critical time, it’s even more important for us to expand access and services to our licensees while making the interaction as easy and efficient as possible.”
MyPVL is a one-stop shop to manage an existing license or to register as a professional licensee. The service has nearly 150,000 individual accounts and manages nearly 160,000 licenses and more than 26,000 applications.
The MyPVL service was created in partnership with NIC Hawaii, the official internet portal manager of eHawaii.gov.
The Professional and Vocational Licensing Division licenses 52 different professions and vocations to include 25 licensing regulatory boards and commissions as well as 27 licensing programs. PVL handles about 20,000 new applicants and over 60,000 license renewals, plus thousands of address or name changes annually.
About NIC Hawaii
This site was launched as part of the eHawaii.gov state portal program. Pursuant to chapter 27G, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the portal program is overseen by the Access Hawaii Committee, which collaborates with provider Hawaii Information Consortium, dba NIC Hawaii, along with state and county agencies to continually identify new online services to be added to the portal. For more information, visit nichawaii.egov.com.
NIC Inc. (Nasdaq: EGOV) launched the digital government industry in 1992, and continues to lead it, providing a secure payment engine and thousands of digital government solutions across a network of more than 6,000 federal, state, and local government agencies. In addition, NIC is a leading provider of outdoor recreation solutions, with 1 out of 6 hunting and fishing licenses in the United States sold using an NIC service. The company created the nation’s first personal assistant for government and comprehensive mobile platform, Gov2Go®, as well as the innovative, data-driven prescription drug monitoring platform, RxGov®. More information is available at www.egov.com.


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The success story of Korean brands in China The China’s economy’s growth noticed these last years is slowing. Therefore, cosmetics market is booming in the Mainland and beauty products’ consumption is the new driver of this economy’s growth. Then, South Korean brands have taken the opportunity of this interest. Indeed, Korean cosmetics companies mix technological innovation … Continue reading Do Korean brands surpass Western brands ?
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